Chair structure



Sept. 12, 1961 R. J. LAPPIN ETAL CHAIR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 26, 1959 Illia Kal-71740, 6%.

' forzzgys Sept. 12, 1961 R. J. LAPPIN ETAL CHAIR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fled Aug. 26, 1959 United States Patent 2,999,662 CHAIR STRUCTURE Richard J. Lappin and Robert G. Mohr, Muskegon, Mich., assignors to Brunswick Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 26, '1959, Ser. No. 836,150 11 Claims. (Cl. 24S-188) This invention relates to a chair structure or the like and particularly to a chassis for such a structure and a bracket for use in making the chassis.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a new and improved bracket of the type described which facilitates manufacture of a welded chassis for a chair or the like in a simplified economical manner.

Another object is to provide a new and improved chassis of the type described including a leg structure comprised of separate leg components and a pair of brackets forming the sole means rigidly connecting the leg components wherein the brackets are constructed to facilitate resistance welding of the brackets to the leg components to thereby join the leg components in a single operation in a single machine.

A further object is to provide -a new and improved chair or the like including a chassis of the type described in the preceding paragraph and a seat unit supported on the brackets.

A more specific object is to provide a new and improved bracket of the type described comprising an elongate metal member having a generally C-shaped cross section and including an upper wall, a lower wall spaced therefrom and an upright wall connecting the upper and lower walls, wherein the upper and lower walls are longer than the upright wall and project longitudinally outwardly beyond the ends of the upright wall thereby providing a pair of sockets or spaces each for receiving a transversely extending portion of a leg component to be attached to the bracket.

The bracket of this invention provides an importantv economic advantage in that it facilitates resistance welding of two such brackets to two leg components in a single machine in a single operation thereby providing a complete chassis with a minimum eort where prior chassis of a similar nature have required several welding operations (as many as live) in several different machines.

Other objects and advantages will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair incorporating a chassis and a pair of brackets embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the chair illustrated in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, of the chair illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at about the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, similar to FIG. 3, illustrating one of the brackets embodying the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the bracket illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a left end elevational View of the bracket shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, taken at about the line 7 7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a right end elevational view of the bracket shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, taken at about the line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

While an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many diierent forms, and it should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to` the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, a chair 10 incorporating the principles of the present invention includes a seat unit 11, a pair of leg units including a rear one 12 and a front one 13, and a pair of brackets, a left one 14 as viewed in FIG. 2 and a right one 15 as viewed in FIG. 2, which are welded to the leg units 12 and 13 and to which the seat unit 11 is attached.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated herein, the seat unit 11 comprises a single unitary member molded of plastic reenforced with Fiberglas. Seat units of this type may be easily manufactured in a single molding operation according to principles now well established, and may be attractively colored in a variety of shades as desired. Each includes a seat portion 18 and an integral back portion 19 joined thereto and preferably provided with an opening therethrough as at 20 for the purpose of providing a pleasing design and fo the comfort of the person using the chair.

Chairs of this type include suitable inclinations and tapers in the seat units 11 and in the leg units 12 and 13 to facilitate stacking of one chair upon another.

The leg units 12 and 13 are alike in all respects except that one is used in front of the other as will be readily understood on viewing FIGS. 1 and 3. Each of the leg units preferably is comprised of a single piece of tubular metal, preferably steel, which has been bent into an inverted U-shape to include a pair of laterally spaced upright legs 25 having upper ends connected by a transverse leg 26 integral therewith. Preferably, the legs 25 taper downwardly toward smaller lower floor engaging end portions which are desirably provided with suitable feet 27 of rubber or other composition and preferably provided with glides 28 of metal or the like to facilitate sliding the chair on a lloor.

The leg units 12 and 13 are connected together by the brackets 14 and 15 which also are of metal and preferably are resistance welded to the transverse members 26 of the leg units to provide a chassis for supporting the seat unit 11. The brackets 14 and 15 are identical in construction except that one is left hand and the other right hand, as will be understood, and accordingly only the left hand bracket 14 will be described in complete detail herein.

The bracket 14 comprises a single sheet metal member which is bent into an elongate form, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, having a generally C-shaped cross section, as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. The bracket includes a top wall 30, a bottom wall 31 spaced from the top wall, and an upright side wall 32 connecting side edges of the upper and lower walls. The lower wall 31 includes a substantially flat horizontally disposed midportion 33 and, at opposite ends of the midportion, end portions 34 which are generally similar in size and shape and which extend longitudinally outwardly beyond opposite ends of the upright side wall 32. The upper wall 3i) includes a generally horizontally disposed midportion 36 which is parallel to the midportion 33 of the lower wall, and intermediate portions 37 which extend longitudinally outwardly beyond opposite ends of the midportion 36 and beyond the ends of the side wall 32. At opposite ends of the intermediate portions 37, additional intermediate portions 38 are inclined upwardly and longitudinally outwardly, and opposite ends of the upper wall terminate in generally horizontally disposed end portions 39.

Opposite end portions 34 of the lower wall 31 and the opposed spaced overlying intermediate portions 37 of the principle.

upper wall 30 define spaces therebetween for receiving the transversely extending portions 26 of the leg units 12 and 13. Preferably, because the transverse members 26 are tubular cylindrical metal, the end edges of the upright side wall 32 are arcuately indented as illustrated at 42 to receive arcuate portions of the outer perimeter of the transverse members 26. As the wall portions 34 and 3-7 are to be joined to the transverse members 26, preferably in a resistance welding machine, the lower wall portions 34 are preferably provided with laterally spaced upwardly projecting longitudinally extending deformations as at 34a, and the upper wall portions 37 are preferably provided with similar downwardly projecting deformations as at 37a. The deformations 34a and 37a provide projections or relief areas which insure a positive contact between the wall portions and the transverse members 26 through which a circuit may be made to effeet the resistance welding. In order to further facilitate a positive engagement of the transverse members 26 with the projections 34a and 37a, the lower wall end portions 34a are preferably inclined downwardly and longitudinally outwardly so that if variations are encountered in the diameter of the transverse members 26, such members may nevertheless be positively engaged with the bracket by more or less movement into the seat depending upon variations in the diameter.

The end portions 39 of the upper wall 3i) provide pedestals or the like by means of which the brackets may be attached to the seat unit 11. Accordingly, it will be understood that the portions 39 and the portions 38, there being four of each in each chair or the like, provide the sole support for the seat unit 11 and for a person seated in the chair. In order to reenforce the portions 38, the upper wall includes longitudinally extending upward deformations as at 42, and these deformations have a length such that they extend throughout the length of the inclined upper wall portions 38, the intermediate upper wall portions 37 and into a portion of the length of the rnidportion 36 of the upper wall. It will be understood that the deformations 42 resist bending of the intermediate portions 38 when the pedestals 39 are subjected to a load.

As seen best in FIG. 4, the pedestals 39 are preferably connected separately to the seat portion 18 of the seat unit 11 as by means of a rivet 44 including a head 45 and a deformed lower end portion 46.

fOn viewing the drawings illustrating the bracket 14, it will be noted that opposite ends of the upper wall 3ft are substantially similar in construction, but that these ends differ slightly though not substantially and not in The difference occurs primarily for the purpose of positioning the pedestals 39 at the proper elevation and inclination to t the underside of the sea-t portion 18 of seat unit 11 at the particular place Where these pedestals may engage the underside of the seat portion.

Preferably, the brackets of this invention as well as the welded chassis, are usable with a chair as illustrated in FIGS. l, 2 and 3 and also with other chairlike structures such as desks including a table for writing andv possibly shelves beneath the seat portion for storage of books and the like. Accordingly, to facilitate attachment of additional components, the bracket 14 may be provided With an opening through the upper wall as at 50, openings through the side wall as at 51, and openings through thebottom wall as at S2.

'In constructing a chair as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the leg units 12 and 13 and the brackets 14 and 15 are rst welded together to provide a chassis to which the seat unit 11 is later attached. The construction shown and described of the brackets and the leg units facilitates the welding of both brackets to both leg units ina -single operation in a single machine. This represents a substantial economic advantage over prior constructions of a similar nature wherein several welding operations in several different machines have been re- 4 quired. The machine utilized preferably is a resistance welding machine which may be provided with suitable fixture means for holding the leg units and brackets in the positions illustrated relative to each other, whereupon the welding elements may be brought into position to engage the lower wall portions 34 and the upper wall portions 37 in the vicinity of the deformations 34a and 37a after which the application of a suitable pressure and electric current for a proper period of time will effect the desired welding. During the application of heat and pressure which effects the welding operation, the projections 34a and 37a sink into the tubular crosspiece, which is thereby deformed, and the downwardly inclined end portions 34 of the lower walls 34 are bent to substantially horizontal positions (FIG. 3) parallel to upper wall portions 37 by virtue of the movement thereby permitted. It will be appreciated that this leaves flattened portions (34a and 37a) of the bracket engaging complementary flattened portions of crosspiece 26 which tend to retard rotation of the leg unit relative to the bracket.

We claim:

1. A bracket for a chair chassis or the like, comprising,

a generally channel shaped member including an upper wall, a lower wall spaced below the upper wall and an upright wall connecting the upper and lower walls, said upper and lower walls each having an end portion projecting longitudinally outwardly beyond the upright wall at one end to thereby provide a space therebetween opening longitudinally outwardly for receiving a transverse leg member to be attached to the end portions.

2. The bracket as defined in claim l, wherein said member is comprised of a weldable metal material.

3. The bracket as defined in claim 2, wherein said end portions of the upper and lower walls each have laterally spaced longitudinally extending projections facing toward the opposite wall for engagement by a transversely extending leg member attachable to the end portions therebetween.

4. The bracket as defined in claim l, wherein the upfright wall is arcuately indented longitudinally at the end between said end portions to receive a cylindrically shaped transversely extending leg member attachable to the end portions therebetween.

5. The bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of said end portions is inclined longitudinally outwardly and away from the other.

6. A bracket for a chair chassis or the like, comprising, an elongate metal member of generally C-shaped cross section including an upper wall, a lower wall spaced below the upper wall and an upright middle wall connecting the upper and lower walls, said upper and lower walls each being longer than the middle wall and having opposite end portions projecting longitudinally outwardly beyond opposite ends of the middle wall to thereby provide spaces at opposite ends of the middle wall between opposed end portions of upper and lower walls for receiving transverse leg members to be welded to the end portions.

7. The bracket as defined in claim 6, wherein the upper wall is longer than the lower wall and includes ends projecting longitudinally outwardly beyond the ends of the lower wall for attachment to a seat unit or the like.

S. A bracket for a chair chassis or the like, comprising, an elongate metal member of generally C-shaped cross section including a generally horizontal lower wall, an upper wall having a midportion spaced above and generally parallel to the lower wall, and an upright side wall connecting the upper and lower walls, the lower wall and the rnidportion of the upper wall being longer than the side wall and having opposite ends projecting longitudinally outwardly beyond the ends of the side wall thereby to provide spaces at opposite ends of the side wall between the upper and lower walls for receiving transverse leg members to be welded to the upper and lower walls, the upper wall -being longer than the lower wall and including opposite end portions projecting longitudinally outwardly beyond the ends of the lower wall, said upper wall end portions including intermediate portions inclined upwardly and outwardly from opposite ends of the upper wall midportion ends, and ends extending generally horizontally from the intermediate portions for connection to a Seat unit.

9. The bracket as defined in claim 8, wherein the upper wall has longitudinal upward deformations extending continuously from opposite ends of said midportion respectively through the length of the adjacent intermediate portions to provide suliicient strength to support seat units under load.

10. A chassis for a chair or the like, comprising, a pair of inverted generally U-shaped metal leg units one spaced in front of the other and each including a pair of generally upright laterally spaced legs having lower floor engaging ends and upper ends connected by a transverse member; a pair of 'laterally spaced brackets positioned between said transverse members for connecting the leg units, each bracket comprising yan elongate metal member of generally C-shaped cross section including an upper wall, a lower wall spaced below the upper wall and an upright middle wall connecting the upper and lower walls, said upper and lower walls each being longer than the middle wall `and having opposite end portions projecting longitudinally outwardly beyond opposite ends of the middle wall to thereby provide spaces at opposite ends of the middle wall between opposed end portions of upper and lower walls receiving said transverse members; the front transverse member being positioned in the spaces at the front of the brackets and the rear transverse member being positioned in the spaces at the rear of the brackets, and said end portions being welded to the transverse members.

1l. The chassis as defined in claim 10, wherein the upper wall of each bracket is longer than the lower wall thereof and includes ends projecting longitudinally outwardly beyond the ends of the lower wall and providing pedestals for attaching ia seat unit to the brackets.

Dewey Jan. 17, 1950 Redlick Mar. 10, 1953 

